Stephen Joseph has entered into a licensing agreement with Cardinal Industries for a variety of games and puzzles including cardboard, wood, and foam puzzles and playing and memory card games. All of the items will feature the art and imagery of the Steven Joseph brand. The Brand Liaison created the deal.

Steven Joseph products will be shown at Cardinal’s booth at Fall Toy Preview in Dallas from Sept. 27 to 29.

Spin Master has completed the previously-announced acquisition of 100% of Cardinal Industries, one of the oldest privately-held game and puzzle companies in the United States. This makes Spin Master the second-largest games company in the U.S.

The purchase price was satisfied by $50 million in cash. Spin Master will also pay up to an additional $19.5 million over five years based on Cardinal’s EBITDA. The acquisition was financed through Spin Master’s existing credit facility.

Over the course of the event, presenters will announce the TOTY winners in 12 categories, as well as the People’s Choice Award, which is based solely on consumer votes, and the overall Toy of the Year Award, which is selected by mass and specialty retailers, journalists, and Toy Industry Association (TIA) members. The winners will be chosen from more than 600 products submitted for consideration during the open call for nominations this fall. Voting is currently open for all TOTY finalists at www.toyawards.org. [Read more...]

The Toy Book is so sorry to hear about the passing of Leslie Berger, founder of Cardinal Industries.

In 1944, Les Berger founded the company with a dream and knowledge of plastics, on the corner of Keape and Hope Streets in Brooklyn, N.Y. The first product that he produced was dominoes. Now Cardinal Industries games and puzzles in some of the most popular licenses, while maintaining business in core basic games, such as dominoes. Berger continued to work, and until very recently, was still coming into the office to work. He was a true pioneer in the business.

Berger lived his 95 years surrounded by a loving family. His son Joel and daughter Bonnie, who have take over and grown the company to a very successful privately owned toy company that is committed to making family-friendly, challenging, and innovative games and puzzles that are affordable for everyone. His wife Sylvia has been his partner in life and business for 64 years.

He will be profoundly missed by his entire family: Sylvia, Joel, Bonnie, Jody, his grandchildren Carly, Ilana, Justin, Perri; and his numerous friends and countless associates in the toy industry.

The game is composed of five different card games, which mimics the games played on the show. The game also includes dual-purpose coasters, a timer, and dry erase score sheet card with a marker to keep score.

The Wizard of Oz will celebrate its 75th anniversary with Mattel‘s new line of dolls for The Wizard of Oz Barbie collection. Enesco, Tonner Doll, and Madame Alexander will each offer collectible figures. Warner Bros. will also continue its There’s No Place Like Home campaign in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Gone with the Wind will also mark its 75th anniversary with new collectible figures from Madame Alexander and Tonner Doll. Mattel will offer an anniversary Barbie collection and Enesco will introduce a stone resin figure. [Read more...]

In 1944, a young Les Berger, the founder of Cardinal Industries, started the company in Brooklyn. With his knowledge of plastics, Berger began manufacturing dominoes poker chip racks, hula hoops, and Mah Jongg sets.

Seventy years later, Cardinal has grown to become one of America’s top signature board game and puzzle companies offering more than 400 items including traditional games such as dominoes, checkers, and poker sets, as well as an extensive line of licensed games and lenticular, wood, and basic puzzles. With a worldwide reach Cardinal products can be found throughout North America, Europe, and Austraila. Cardinal has excelled in the licensed puzzle and game arena working with Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Sanrio, Twentieth Century Fox, NBS, Warner Bros, Sesame Street, HIT Entertainment, Lucas, Mattel, and Hasbro, among others.

The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and national partner Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Military Services distributed brand new toys to more than 2,000 children and families living on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C. on December 2. During the base’s annual tree lighting ceremony, kids were treated to more than just entertainment and festive activities—they were also given a generous donation of toys, games, and stuffed animals.

With the holiday season just around the corner, TIF and BGCA are hopeful that the toys will ease the stresses and challenges children face with parents who are frequently deployed. This special donation was made possible through toy companies to TIF’s signature giving program, The Toy Bank.

This event was held as part of the TIF/BGCA Play Comforts program—the first national toy distribution initiative to serve dozens of U.S. military installations at home and abroad. The program has provided more than $3.8 million in toys for children and families over the four years it has been running.

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has announced the launch of a merchandising program for the Fox television series Glee. Merchandising plans have been announced for interactive products, apparel and accessories, publishing, electronics and games, and bedding and beauty.

Fox Consumer Products has partnered with Konami Digital Entertainment to produce Karaoke Revolution Glee, which will be release for the Wii this fall. “Gleeks” will be able to sing along with performances from the first season.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will release a series of Glee original novels, along with a deluxe gift book. C&D Visionary, Inc., will release stickers, patches, magnets, and temporary tattoos in the U.S. and Canada. Other licensees include Trends International, LLC for bookmarks and posters; P.C. Woo, Inc. for holiday gift sets; Sky High International for branded pens, planners, and other school supplies; and Hallmark for a line of greeting cards.

New Products

The Singing Machine Co. Inc. launched its new sing-along product line for kids, including five products made for kids from preschool to elementary school. Highlights include the Mic Guy Bluetooth Sing-Along, Mic Guy Bluetooth Speaker Wireless Microphone, Candy House Sing-Along, Blackboard calculator, and MOOD. In addition, through its continued partnership with Stingray, The Singing Machine [...]

Horizon Group USA will expand its line STMT kits with new themes. Inspired by what’s hot in today’s lifestyle trends, these DIY activities for teens have a trendy, modern touch such as designing jewelry to creating home-spa experiences. The three new items in the line include the Hand Stamped Jewelry Kit, DIY Journal Set, and [...]

Mattel and Dash Robotics introduced of the updated and enhanced Kamigami, a build-it-yourself robot platform for kids inspired by insects. Kamigami is the brain child of two UC Berkeley PhD graduates, who previously used their expertise in robotics and biomimicry to complete projects for the U.S. Army and NSF. Kids can fold and snap flat sheets of [...]

YouTube star Karina Garcia launched a new brand, Craft City by Karina Garcia. Widely known for her DIY slime videos, Garcia partnered with Brandable to launch Craft City with the release of the first product, the Official Make-Your-Own Slime Kit by Karina Garcia, which is now exclusively available nationwide at Target both in-store and online. Garcia and Brandable started working together earlier [...]

Skyrocket LLC launched the Sky Viper V2450 GPS Streaming Video Drone, the company’s latest drone. The new drone features a return-to-home button, a built-in GPS, and is made with ArduPilot firmware and uses positional awareness for easy navigation. The new Sky Viper GPS Drone is one of nine different drones to choose from in the Sky [...]